Attitudes toward psychedelic therapy among medical and nursing students: A cross-sectional survey study.
PloS one January 1, 2026 Diego Castellano-Ramírez, Elisa Hernández-Álvarez, Lucas F Borkel et al.
A survey of 325 medical and nursing students at a Spanish university found cautiously optimistic views toward psychedelic-assisted therapy, though concerns persist. Women reported lower perceived knowledge about psychedelics, while older students showed greater openness to their therapeutic potential. Medical students had higher perceived knowledge and stronger agreement with therapeutic applications than nursing students, who more strongly linked psychedelic use to psychiatric risk. Students who had personally used psychedelics were more supportive of legalization and therapeutic use. Formal education on psychedelics was associated with more favorable attitudes and increased knowledge, suggesting that training may reduce stigma and support evidence-based policy.